River Forest Public Library Board of Library Trustees Minutes of Regular Meeting March 8, 2005 Call to Order President Molly Ryan called the regular meeting of the Board to order at 7:20 p.m. Present were Library Director Mrs. Bussey and Trustees Ryan, Coe, Fischer, Horstman, Sher, Soffer and Daly. Audience to Visitors and Trustee Comments There were no visitor comments. Trustee Lenny Soffer stated that he was misquoted in an article about the library budget in the March 2, 2005 issue of the Forest Leaves He has emailed the Forest Leaves and a correction will be printed in the March 9th edition. Ms. Ryan thanked Mrs. Bussey for including the article “Libraries at Risk?” in the Board packets. Consent Agenda The Board reviewed minutes of the February 8, 2005 regular meeting and the February 14 and 26 Building/Grounds, Personnel and Finance Committee meetings. It was noted that the name of our newest patron, baby Paul Francis Fischer, was misspelled in the February minutes. Board members reviewed the Warrant List of Bills Payable for February 9 through March 8, 2005 covering checks # 4967 to #5091, and the payroll and benefits list. The grand total of all expenditures was $69,278.43. Board members reviewed the February 2005 Treasurer’s Report. Mr. Soffer moved to adopt the Consent Agenda. Mr. Coe seconded. Roll call vote was taken. Voting aye were Trustees Ryan, Coe, Soffer, Horstman, Fischer, Sher and Daly. There were no nays. The motion carried unanimously. Communications Mrs. Bussey announced that there were three donations in the month of February. The Fischer family donated a tall ladder for changing light bulbs. The WIN (Women Investing Now) group donated $29. The Chicago Nanny’s Association donated $250 to sponsor the children’s summer reading program. Mrs. Daly moved that the Board accept these donations. Ms. Horstman seconded. The motion carried unanimously. Mrs. Bussey invited the Board to a “Spring Fling” in honor of Miriam Reedy who is retiring. Ms. Ryan asked that the minutes reflect the Board’s appreciation for Miriam Reedy’s many years of hard work on behalf of the library. Mrs. Bussey shared a memo with the Board from Hella Westbrook who will be retiring May 1, 2005. Ms. Ryan expressed the Board’s gratitude to Hella Westbrook for her impressive contribution of 23 years of service to the Library. Mrs. Bussey will be out of the Library from March 23 to April 4. The Department Head with the most seniority will be in charge in her absence. As of April 1, the Village will be changing its health insurance company. There will be a slight decrease in the cost of the library employees’ insurance. Mrs. Bussey shared copies of three positive letters from patrons. Director’s Report A. Statistical Report -Statistics on home page hits and data base usage were not available at the time of the meeting. A new statistic, use of the wireless network, was recorded. There were 20 uses in February. B. Written Report- Mrs. Bussey presented her written report to the Board. C. Departmental Reports- Board members reviewed reports from Adult Services, the Teen Department, the Children’s Room, Technical Services and the Circulation Department. Rebecca Vnuk, Head of Adult Services, reported that 417 new books were purchased in February, and 134 new books have been purchased to date in March. Old Business A. Finance Committee Report FY 2005-2006 Budget- Mr. Soffer presented the FY 2005-2006 as recommended by the Finance Committee to the Board. Mrs. Bussey asked to add an additional $5,000 for marketing expenses. The Board discussed the addition of this line item. Ms. Ryan suggested that the budget be voted on for approval without the marketing line. She suggested that a status report be given at the April meeting, and that the Board revisit the issue at the May meeting dependent upon Mrs. Bussey providing hard data on marketing needs at that time. Mr. Coe moved that the Board accept the budget as prepared by the Finance Committee. Mr. Soffer seconded. Roll call vote was taken. Voting aye were Trustees Soffer, Coe, Fischer, Ryan, Horstman, Sher and Daly. There were no nays. The motion carried unanimously. B. War Memorial Update- Mrs. Bussey gave the General Liability Coverage Form from IRMA, the library’s insurance, to Ms. Ryan who will review the policy with regard to how it relates to the ownership of the War Memorial. She will report back to the Board. New Business A. Public Telephone- Mrs. Bussey reported she is considering eliminating the public telephone in the library. The telephone costs the library $700 a year and provides no revenue. There have been four false 911 calls made from the phone in the past six months. She suggested other options for patrons wishing to make calls from the library. She will explore these options and report back to the Board. B. Second Floor Changes- The following changes will be made on the second floor: the reference desk will be cut down, office space will be created for the Adult Services staff, the periodicals will be moved and there will be new lighting in the atrium area. C. Press Relations- Ms. Ryan stated that going forward the Board should be proactive as opposed to reactive with the local press. The Library should provide documents and email press releases. Ms. Ryan asked that if an individual Board member is contacted, he or she should refer the question to Ms. Ryan who will bring it to the Board and then get back to the press. Executive Session At 8:55 p.m. Mr. Soffer moved that the Board go to executive session. Mr. Coe seconded. A vote was taken. The motion carried unanimously. Adjournment At 8:57 p.m. Mr. Coe moved that the meeting be adjourned. Ms. Horstman seconded. A vote was taken. The motion carried unanimously. Respectfully submitted, Diane Daly, Secretary